


20

by mhunter10



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, mhunter10
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-02
Updated: 2013-09-02
Packaged: 2017-12-25 10:43:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/952134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mhunter10/pseuds/mhunter10
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mickey promised Ian he would meet him in twenty.</p><p>This is what happened when he met him in less time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	20

“I’ll meet you there in twenty.”

That was what Mickey said to him just before closing the door. Ian ran off down the street towards the Kash and Grab after that, and that’s where he’d waited. He kept anxiously glancing at the door and practically jumped every time the door jingled when someone came in. He’d told the other boy he needed him and didn’t have anywhere else to go. Not that he knew or could think of anywhere else he would go. The times Monica blew in to town, and those weren’t very often, always got him like this: nervous, panicky, confused. One minute everything is fine, the next, things are seeming to spiral out of control. Ian was like Fiona and Lip, who were even more entitled to being angry whenever their mother returned. He was old enough to understand, and therefore old enough to resent her for all the many failed attempts at making up for lost years. He knew better than to fall into that vicious circle, but that didn’t mean it still didn’t make him a little sad. Being told he was the most like her didn’t help either. But mostly, he just needed to get away. Get away from everything involving her and the rest of the Gallaghers, and just get it all out of his mind before he went crazy. So, he started running. Ian could only think of one thing that would help right now. One person. And he came walking in the door at only fourteen minutes.

Ian hurriedly finished ringing up the customer who had walked in before, while Mickey walked around the perimeter of the store like he was looking for something. As soon as the person was out the door, Ian locked it behind them, flipping the sign to ‘Be back in…’. He ignored the banging of someone else trying to get in, and headed straight for the back. Mickey followed him into the freezer, the same worried look as before now mixed with a little annoyance.

“What the hell, Gallagher? You almost—” Mickey was about to yell at him for almost getting them caught, but he trails off when he sees Ian pacing frantically. The anger in his voice immediately drops out.

“I’m…I’m, sorry, Mick. It’s j-just…Monica, and…,” Ian is stammering, eyes wide,”…she just… and I just…can’t—”

“Whoa, whoa. It’s cool, just…” Mickey isn’t sure if he understood any of that, but he doesn’t really need to. He’s surprised how fast the other boy is moving in the limited space.

“I couldn’t…I’m sorry, Mickey. I didn’t…I just ran, and…I h-have nowhere else, and….there’s no one.. I can’t even think right now, I’m so…so—” Ian is pulling at his shirt and running his hand through his hair, and still moving around. His breathing is fast and his face is getting redder by the minute.

“Hey, hey. It’s okay. Alright? Okay? Slow down, huh?” Mickey is getting jittery just looking at the redhead. He’s not worried that he’ll wreck something, because he looks pretty damn close to doing it, but he also doesn’t want him to get himself hurt or in trouble.

Ian stops pacing, but still bounces on his toes a little. “I just don’t want…to—”

“Hey, stop. C’mon, Ian. Would you chill for a second? Look at me.” Mickey steps a bit further into the room, slowly like Ian is a scared animal. He’s still breathing hard and visibly shaking, but Ian finally makes eye contact. Mickey inches closer. “C’mere, alright? Just, do it.”

Ian doesn’t really understand what Mickey wants him to do, but he slowly starts to walk over to him. Their eyes are still locked and neither says anything else. He keeps moving until he’s only a couple inches away from the other boy, noticing he’s starting to just pass him in height. Mickey kind of looks down for a second, then, as if without thinking, he opens his arms up and motions for Ian to come towards him. It doesn’t take Ian long to realize what this awkward gesture means coming from Mickey, and he immediately slings himself into an embrace. And there in the freezer of the Kash and Grab, Ian and Mickey hug for the first time and it’s utterly amazing. It’s not too tight or too loose, but just the right amount of strength behind it to really understand that it’s not a formality or a joke. They’re connected from chest to thighs. Ian has his arms wrapped around Mickey’s shoulders, almost around his neck, and his face is pressed close to the side of his. Mickey has his arms around Ian’s torso, pulling him in and holding him there firmly. He can feel Ian’s heart slowing and his shoulders drop with the tension. Mickey notices he even starts to breathe a little easier, as he inhales Ian’s scent. He smells nice, and he starts to be afraid he doesn’t, but not enough to let go too soon.

“Sometimes people have shitty parents,” Mickey says over Ian’s shoulder, “…and that’s it.”

Ian can’t believe that Mickey, of all people, is hugging him and trying to comfort him. He also can’t believe how simple and true that was. Mickey could have said a whole lot of things about Monica or anything else, but he didn’t because he wasn’t just saying it for Ian. He was saying it for himself too. This made Ian feel better and a bit angry that they had this in common. He couldn’t imagine how much worse it was for Mickey, not having the kind of family he has in order to deal with it. This made him hug Mickey even tighter, if possible, determined to let him know and feel how much Ian wanted to be something different for him. Something good. Unfortunately, he chose the wrong time to tear up and sniffle a bit.

“Oh, Jesus, Gallagher. Are you going to cry?” Mickey let go and held him at arms’ length, giving him a hard look. “You better not fucking cry, or I swear—”

Ian wipes his eyes, laughing it seems for the first time that day. He sees that Mickey blinks away the wetness in his own eyes, but he knows not to say anything. “No, no. I’m not. Promise.”

“Good…,” Mickey shifts his weight, eyes darting away for a second. Then, he gets a devilish grin on his face. Raising an eyebrow in that cocky, but suggestive way, he continues,”…then if you’re not going to cry, come over here and do me, Gallagher.”

Ian and Mickey smile at each other, and soon Ian has his hand on top of Mickey’s, gripping the shaking shelves.


End file.
